POLAR FLIGHT

Hokitika Guardian, 30 August 1933, Page 3

POLAR FLIGHT

COMING ANTARCTIC VENTURE PLANS OF MR ELLSWORTH THE CHATEAU, Aug 28. " The famous Aineriean explorer, Air Lincoln Ellsworth, who left this evening for Suva' had some mteyestihgacomment to make about his contemplated Antarctic flight. “It may be that I will be criticised for not taking two aeroplanes with me,” he said. “Amundsen and I used two plahes on cur unSuccessfifl attejnpt to. reach the North pole in 1925, there being an idea in the hack of our minds that on descending at the pole we could’fly one inachiiie back, fueling it from thei'niachine w’e would abaiicldii. Jn practice it did not work out well. When we were forced down to make observations 120 ifiiles irom the pole,’the. cfews of the two hiachines found themselves three hides apart, and fuelling from -one. machine to tlie other was oiit cf the question;

NO PLANS TO LAND

“The most ‘valuable way to; use two aeroplanes is. to hold one in fesferve at vour base so., that should the other meet with a mishap a rescue is .po§sibl-3 by means of the other. Finance, however, has limitoclwhat we can do, and. another machine is at present out of the question. .... >_ “T have fid reasoh to expect it will he necessary to land anywhere, blit if such an eventuality should occur our. machine lias very definite advaiit- ' Bges— tl;e' "fruits’’.' of ..,m.y experience in ,;.ijie: bf in tlie, Antarctic. Our; nibciiis£ ; is sjnalier than ( Byrd’s, but .it,,has. its, merit of being able to land at-eloW/Speeh,..at anything from 45 t 0,50 miles an hour. Unless,’’ he added with a .snide, “we, should run into a crevasse when lauding I have no reason to anticipate any ;■ trouble in taking off again. Questioned as to the chances of . rescue should the worst happen, Mr Ellsworth said the .aeroplane would carry emergency rations to last three months. A hand sledge,, ii tent and spades to build an ice cabin also woukf be carried. “I should' hot relish a long sledge journey,, how.eyjsi*,” said'; ( the ex'plorer. “It - is- impossible, po sustain one’s strength, omthg- kind/pi; .ration \ye sir 1! . bp .forced:-to.; .take —peiumichn, ? milk chocolate, pgtmeai biscuit, - pondered . milk, nialted, ipilk - tablet^, . (rajsjns aifd nuts. I ..rembmher Aibw - A . our, s.ti ength . bega n to - fail wh en , we.were- trying .to get the , -aeroplane out, of the, ice .in •I 1925. • ,To expi’t. jijst ,a - little pressure while we w.ei’e‘.digging with our spadps ;• exhausted ns. .

WIRELESS. EQUIPMENT “Relfef-■fronj .-the fcato.Vß'ohfd be-but* of. the question,” he. added., “It wouiu necessitate t hi* * laving of .depots by. a large ’,.pX'pecliticn', • and ..the T 6 men; -who.are going, south,’in the, expedition’s Ship ■wi’.l'be. incsipable.'of syph a ~tre-' nifindpus case pf: .the:. ShacMeton,.ancb/Spott ;.expeditions , many: months ; .o;f;-ardoas labour.ln; .- addition tortbe lyjrcfes;;; tjgnsSffiissipp set 1 . operated' ;hjNi,'lnbto;r,r.' there ./ypuld-y,he: a smailed set capable of. bpjng operated by. hand, whioh.wo.uld;. give the aero-' phtupl'S position. if forcedydojvji, ,fcut, in such an eventuality, there would • be; little .hope; otwrespue. Mr EliswOrth- said he did not anticipate' '.experiencing the conditions obtained oh his; Arctic? aeroplane flight. On that occasion they,found their fuel half exhausted and-ran intp a heavy wiind that drove them off their course. Tlie ihstVumPrits'’“tb-'be carried on the coming expedition would ensure that on meeting similarexact observations would' be“possible.